Amazon Drone Delivery in US Rural Areas Approved by FAA

Amazon has been given approval by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to conduct same-day drone deliveries in rural areas. The FAA has granted Amazon Prime Air an experimental airworthiness certificate to conduct drone tests over remote parts of Washington state.

The company must comply with strict regulations, restricting flights to no higher an altitude than 400ft (120m), “during daylight hours”, and only in “visual meteorological conditions” (i.e. no heavy snow or rain). The certificate only grants flight privileges to one approved model of drone; should Amazon modify its drone, or want to use a new model, the FAA would have to grant a new certificate before Amazon was allowed to fly it.

The news is especially positive for Amazon since, after the FAA issued proposed rules for US drone flights back in February, it seemed as though the dream of Prime Air had been killed off before it had even started.